Alfonso Soriano sat across from Javier Baez at a table in the middle of the clubhouse. It was the guy Cubs fans have been trying to trade for years eating lunch with the kid they can’t wait to see at Wrigley Field.

Soriano finished his sandwich, wiped the crumbs off his blue shirt and tossed the plate into a garbage can. A club official had asked him to sign some autographs. When he returned to his locker, he reclined in his chair and flipped through a clothing catalog.

The $136 million man chuckled and agreed that he probably didn’t need any more clothes.

No, Soriano hadn’t gotten a call from his agent or heard anything about a deal with the New York Yankees in the five days since Curtis Granderson fractured his forearm and Twitter went crazy with trade speculation.

Soriano – who has the hammer of no-trade rights – shrugged before Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at HoHoKam Stadium. He looked at it the same way Matt Garza does: You only get worried when they stop mentioning your name.

Junior Lake had his headphones on and sat next to Soriano, whose locker borders the row that includes Starlin Castro, Jorge Soler and Baez. This is why Soriano has value beyond the 30-homers, 100-RBI potential.

“They have so much talent, man,” Soriano said. “It’s good for the organization they have prospects like that, because maybe in two, three years, they’re going to have a very good team.”

Of course, Soriano only has two more years left on his megadeal, but he isn’t writing off this season yet. He would like to see how it all comes together. There are times where he feels 37 years old, like when the kids ask him about stretching, pregame routines, how to get ready. But mostly he feeds off their energy and begins to feel young again.